Means for facilitating the construction of fireplaces



Dec. 23, 1924.

A. w. BURR MEANS FOR FACILITATING THE CONSTRUCTION 0F FIREPLACES Filed Jan. 30. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fic.. il.

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A. W. BURR MEANS FOR FACILITATING THE CONSTRUCTION oF FTREPLACES Filed Jan. 50, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 23, 1924.

ALMON w. BURR, OFBELQIT, wlscousru.

Application filed January 30, 1922. Serial No. 532,806.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ALMo-N lV. BURR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beloit, in the county of Rock and State of lVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Means for Facilitating the Construction of Fireplaces, the following of which is a specification. f

The invention pertains to the construction of fireplaces, and has for its general aim the provision of means of a simple character in the nature of templates for guiding a stonemason, a brick-layer or other artisan in constructing fireplaces in accordance with scientilic principles.

Considerable difficulty has been experienced in the construction of present day fireplaces, owing to the general ignorance on the part of the workman of the correct prins ciples involved, it being generally assumed that the shaping of the passages is unirnportant. Hence they are proportioned and formed in many and varied'ways, with the result that either the greater portion of the heat produced escapes to the flue or a defective draft is produced so that smoke and soot escape into the room through the open front of the fireplace.

One design for efficient fireplace construction is that produced by Count Rumford, born in 1753. This design was made in accordance with the laws of heat radiation and air circulation, and fireplaces so constructed havebeen found to give results entirely satisfactory. The guidingmeans which I employ are constructed to facilitate the construction of fireplaces in accordance with Count Rumfords design, but it will bey understood that the invention is not limited to this particular design but may be employed in connection with the construction of fireplaces of other well known and recognized forms. It will also be apparent that various changes in form, construction and arrangement herein disclosedl may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved guiding means illustrating its use in connection with a fireplace and flue, the latter being shown in broken lines. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the guiding means showing the relation in which the several parts are held in use. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the guide member for the base.

Fig. e is a plan view on a smaller scale of the guide member for the upper passage leading to the flue. Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate eXpansion pieces for the upper passage member so as to adapt it for use in building fireplaces of various sizes. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the several lguiding members showing the relative positions in which they are held in use.

The guiding means comprises a plurality of separate parts in the nature of templates including a base member 7, a rear wall and throat member 8, and an upper passage member 9. The base member 7 is shaped in accordance with the form which it is desired to give to the base of the fireplace, and hence y determines the width of the front and the back, and the angle and depth of the sides. It will be observed that thepsides converge inwardly toward the rear. This increases substantially the heat radiation from the fireplace.

The member 8 consists of a main or lower section 82L and an upper section 8b pivoted to the upper end of the lower section so as to be adjustable for the purpose of varying the inclination ofthe upper passageway leading from the throat to the flue in accordance with the distance of the flue from the fireplace. The lower section 8a is adapted to be placed directly over the base member 7 in perpendicular relation thereto, and has a straight forward edge 10 which is flush with the forward edge of the base member when properly positioned. lts rear edge 11 is formed to determine the shape of the rear wall of the fireplace and also the rear wall of the throat `at 12. The forward wall of the throat-"is formed by a rearwardly inclined straight edge 13 rising from a point spaced a short distance inwardly from the forward edge 10 and near the upper end of the lower section 8a. Between the edge 10 and the forward rearwardly inclined edge 13 is formed a substantially horizontal edge or breast 14 which coincides with the top wall of thefireplace. The forward vertical edge 10 serves to determine the height of the front opening for the fireplace.v

It will be observed that the relatively obtuse bend 12 in the rear wall of the throat is located above the horizontal edge 14 which determines the top wall of the fireplace. Therefore, the air drawn from the room into the upper portion ofthe fireplace, through the open front, serves to assist the smoke and gases of combustion rising from the lower portion of the fireplace and passing upwardly along' the rear wall, to escape through the throat into the upper passageway.

The upper section 8b of the guide member 8 serves to cooperate with the member 9 for forming the passageway leading from the throat to the flue. As above indicated, this section 8b is pivoted at the upper end of the section 8a so as to be adjustable to vary the angle of inclination of the passageway depending upon the position of the flue from the fireplace. Thus if the flue is positioned relatively close to the iireplace, the angle is made relatively smaller, and if the flue is positioned some distance from the fireplace, the angle is made correspondingly greater with respect to the vertical. The upper forward edge 15 and the lower rear edge 15a of the section Sb serve to determine the shape of the top and bottom walls of the passageway in the central portion thereof.

The member 9 comprises a bottom wall portion 16 and side wall portions 17 and 17a bent upwardly from the bottom portion at substantially right angles thereto as shown in Fig. 2. This member' 9 is positioned in rear of the section 8" with the section substantially central of the bottom wall 16. lt will be observed that the side walls 17 and 17a correspond in shape to the section 8b, and serve to determine the position of the lateral margins of the top and bottom walls of the passageway. rlhe width of the passage obviously is determined by the width of the bot-tom portion 16.

It will be noted by reference to Fig. 2 that when the member 9 is thus positioned with respect to the section 8b of the member 8, the width of the passage to be formed will be substantially the same as the width of the base directly below the forward edge of the member 9. Thus the side walls are built up perpendicularly from the base until they meet the throat. Obviously, therefore, the width` of the throat at its lower ond will correspond to the width of the base near its center, and hence will be greater than the width of the back of the fireplace at the base.

It will be apparent that the parts may be made and supplied in varying sizes. Preferably, however, I construct the various members of a material such as fibre board, and provide a few simple instructions for cutting the same for the purpose of varying the dimensions thereof to suit the size of the fireplace to be built. Thus, the baseis provided for a maximum size A and is supplied with lines B, C, D and E defining four smaller sizes B, C, D and E, of designated dimensions, as indicated in Fig. 3, to which lines the member may be cut. Likewise, the

guide member 81is cut tol av maximum size A-B, and supplied with lines defining two smaller sizes C-D and E, as indicated i Fig. 1, to which lines this member may be cut to correspond with the various sizes ci' the base, the size lli-B corresponding to sizesy A and i3 of the base, the size C-D corresponding to the sizes G-D of the base, and size E corresponding to size E of base.

T he member 9 is initially constructed for the intermediate size of lireplace. Thus referring to Fig. 4, for the larger size A the member is severed along the line c, and an expansion piece a (Fig. 5) is inserted between the parts; and for the next smaller sise B, the member 9 is likewise cut along the line c, and a smaller extension piece /2 inserted between the parts. These pieces u and Z) are so shaped that when inserted between the two parts of the member 9 they will not disturb the proper proporti-on of the passageway which is shaped so that the cro w: sectional area thereof at any one poil.' throughout its length is nearly equal to the cross sectional area of the throat. A. muterial deviation of said cross sectional area of the passageway from said cross sectional area of the throat is prevented by properlyv increasing the height of sides 17 and 17a, as the width of the bottom wall 16 decreases to nearly the width of the flue.

For the size C, the member 9 may be used without change, for the size D the area between lines d is removed and the outer parts brought together, and for the smallest size E, the members are cut along lines G and the intermediate part is removed and the outer parts brought together. I wish to particularly point out that any other combination of sizes canbe used without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the appended claims. i

lt will be observed that I have produced a guiding means for hreplace construction which is of a very' practical character. rlhe construction is exceedingly simple and is capable of use by stonemasons or brick-layers possessing` little-or no knowledge of the scientific principles of lireplace constructions. lndeed, it is possible with the use of my improved guiding means, for any person able to do the necessary brick, masonry or cement work properly to construct the fireplace with the assurance that efficiency in heat radiation and air circulation will result. It is also possible for the owner of lthe fireplace under construction to check the correctness of the masons work by means of this guide` Moreover, it is possible with the use of my guiding means to alter fireplaces erroneously constructed.

l. claim as my invention:

1. A means for facilitating the construction of fireplaces including a member having` forward and rear edges providing guides with respect to which the forward and rear walls of the throat of the fireplace may be constructed. said member comprising upper and lower sections, said upper section having upper and lower edges constituting guides for the construction of the top and oottom walls of the passageway leading from the throat, said upper section being pivoted to the lower portion to vary the inclination of said passageway with respect to the due, and a second guide member adapted to be positioned in the plane defined by the lower edge of said upper section and to cooperate with said upper section to determine the width of said passageway, and having flanges agreeing in height with the height of said upper section.

2. A lguiding means for facilitating the construction of fireplaces including a guide member having forward and rear edges shaped to provide a guide with respect to which the forward and rear walls of the upper portion of the iireplace may be constructed7 and having an upper extension with upper and lower edges in continuation of the last mentioned edges and providing guides in accordance with which the top and bottom walls of a passageway leading from the throat to the flue may be constructed, and a second Iguide member adapted to be positioned in the plane defined by the said lower edge and extending transversely to the upper extension, said second member having flanges at opposite sides corresponding in height with that of the said upper eX- tension.

3. A means for facilitatingthe construction of fireplaces including amember having forward and rear edges providing guides with respect to which the forward and rear walls of the throat of the fireplace may be constructed, said member comprising upper and lower sections, said upper section having upper and lower edges` constituting guides for the construction of theytop and bottom walls of the passageway leading from the throat, said upper section being pivoted to the upper end of said member and adjustable to vary the inclination of said passageway with respect to the flue.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto afxed my signature.

ALMON W. BURR. 

